this cable debate is not really about cables, but what one cares about and believes in...
the ear is where the sound is captured, but it is the brain that processes what was taken in by the ears, so finally it is all in the head.....
the ear is where the sound is captured, but it is the brain that processes what was taken in by the ears, so finally it is all in the head.....
Possibly it was just a scheme to get us all tangled and mixed up so that he can watch the fun.
I didn't ignore technical explanations, I'm only amused by psychological ones.
You are correct that it's about interactions in the system as a whole.
As for those who are convinced that cables cannot possibly have an impact on the perceived sound, apparently no technical information is going to change their minds. This is so because of their view and conviction is born of certain belief, or set of beliefs.
I'll try to illustrate it.
A very common attitude is:
"It's impossible that there is a real impact on perceived sound when it cannot be measured. Hence, whenever such impact is reported, the report must be born of illusion".
The above makes sense, it 'sounds' correct and I tend to agree with it.
However there is a major question that usually is not being asked by many people:
"Do we have, or know, all the measurements of all technical aspects that have impact on the perceived sound?"
My reply is that we don't have all the relevant measurements.
I'll give an example to the above.
We know that the presence of RFI in audio circuits have an impact on the perceived sound. The presence of RFI in audio circuit degrades the perceived sound quality.
We also know that RF propagates both by conduction and by radiation. Therefore, the presence of RFI at the power supply circuits will be radiated to all the audio circuits – unless measures will be taken to completely shield those RFI from the audio circuits. (The RFI on the power supply come from two main sources: RFI present on the mains supply and switching noise of the rectifying diodes).
When it comes to measurements, we encounter a major difficulty here: it is extremely difficult to measure tiny amounts of RF inside circuits, especially when there are far larger amounts of DC.
Therefore, it is possible, and it do happen, that two audio circuits will measure the same when the measurements are done on the audio band, while those two audio circuits will have different amount of RFI which will not be seen in the measurements are done on the audio band.
The above is but one example of some possible inadequacies of commonly accepted measurement on audio equipment to fully correlate with the perceived sound.
Joshua - an observation, this is definitely not the best forum to discuss cable differences on. Been there, not going back.
For what it's worth, and for the very last time. I have noticed some small differences between signal and speaker cables of different size and construction used in the same system. The closest I've seen to an explanation yet has been provided by jneutron and I personally think he has pretty much nailed it down when it comes to mains cords.
Very thin bell wire for speaker cable over long runs is bloody awful and I found long cat5 woven runs to sound poor too. Once you reach a decent spec, differences pretty much disappear. I also found the same with those cheap and nasty interconnects which are supplied free with most audio equipment. They too can easily be improved on very cheaply but beyond a decent spec wire, differences become pure speculation.
I wish you well with your crusade but for obvious reasons I will not be joining you, good luck 😉
For what it's worth, and for the very last time. I have noticed some small differences between signal and speaker cables of different size and construction used in the same system. The closest I've seen to an explanation yet has been provided by jneutron and I personally think he has pretty much nailed it down when it comes to mains cords.
Very thin bell wire for speaker cable over long runs is bloody awful and I found long cat5 woven runs to sound poor too. Once you reach a decent spec, differences pretty much disappear. I also found the same with those cheap and nasty interconnects which are supplied free with most audio equipment. They too can easily be improved on very cheaply but beyond a decent spec wire, differences become pure speculation.
I wish you well with your crusade but for obvious reasons I will not be joining you, good luck 😉
That's the problem. Many on here think that you are.
Beliefs are a strange thing in many ways, most people make the simple error of thinking that their beliefs are their own when in fact they are usually acquired second hand from other people. When you appear to challenge these 'beliefs' people often get defensive. Many are happy to be accepted as part of the herd, some reject the herd and often have to pay the price for doing so. Sorry if this is blindingly obvious but it may not have occurred to some who might read this thread.
Good luck to you.
if i hear a difference between power cords, is that a proof of anything? i do not think so....
that is my anecdote, true to me but may not be to you...
that is my anecdote, true to me but may not be to you...
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